Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens: In Lexington, North Carolina, they have entered guilty pleas to the voluntary manslaughter of Jason Corbett.More than eight years have passed since Jack and Sarah Corbett Lynch were woken by police officers shortly after 3am on August 2nd, 2015.
The children remained impassive as Molly Martens , appearing gaunt and wearing grey pinstriped pants and a pale blue jacket over a blue turtleneck top and matching blue heels, stood with her left hand on the Bible and entered a plea of “no contest” to a voluntary manslaughter charge. Molly Martens’s 2017 conviction for second-degree murder was previously overturned on appeal and her sentence of 20-25 years was set aside, pending a retrial.
Judge Hall explained that both Tom and Molly faced maximum sentences of up to 204 months , however, he said this upper limit would not apply as neither had a prior criminal record. The judge told Tom and Molly Martens that he could impose a sentence at the lower end of the scale, or even decide that there were “exceptional mitigating circumstances” which would allow for the defendants to walk free on probation.
Assistant district attorney Kaitlyn Jones has already outlined to the judge the extent of the injuries suffered by the victim. He was struck so many times by Tom, wielding a baseball bat, and Molly, using a brick, that the medical examiner, Dr Craig Nelson, couldn’t be sure how many impacts there were.
Following the plea deal with the Martens the case now becomes a sentencing hearing. In Monday afternoon’s session, Jack and Sarah were left in no doubt about how gruelling the next week will be. Molly Martens’ defence counsel, Douglas Kingsberry, said Molly Martens believed Jason has killed his first wife and that she was next.
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Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »